Remember when Democrats wanted to let the perjury, obstruction of justice, and witness tampering committed by Bill Clinton slide because it was “just about sex”? Progressive jurisprudence has continued to progress. Now you can get away with dealing heroin if it is just about money:

A Peabody [Massachusetts] man found with more than half an ounce of heroin hidden in a secret compartment of his Volvo three years ago won’t have to serve time in prison after pleading guilty to charges of drug possession with intent to distribute.

That’s because, a Salem Superior Court judge reasoned on Tuesday, Manuel Soto-Vittini was just trying to support his family, and was not an addict himself.

“This was basically a money crime,” Judge Timothy Feeley concluded, rejecting a prosecutor’s request for one to three years in state prison.

So he got probation instead, despite dealing heroin (and cocaine) being an ongoing business that he attended to on a daily basis, to judge from police reports.

However, regular Americans should not expect to get off as lightly. Soto-Vittini is special:

Feeley also said he was taking into account the possible immigration consequences Soto-Vittini faces as a result of the conviction — an issue his attorney, Eduardo Masferrer, had raised in a sentencing memorandum filed before Tuesday’s hearing. …

Masferrer suggested to the judge that Soto-Vittini, who is originally from the Dominican Republic but who had legal permanent resident status, is still in jeopardy of deportation, something he argued would be “catastrophic.”

It certainly would not be catastrophic for Americans. But the interests of Americans are not a priority for liberal authorities.